With virtual reality, predictive analysis, real-time collaboration, wearables, etc. the panoply of tools at the disposal of the Sales Person 2.0 keeps on growing and can be used to prospect more intelligently or to optimise sales appointments.

Start using intelligent prospection with predictive analysis

A sales person’s work can quickly become alienating if it amounts to qualifying a list of leads and then running more and more telephone and e-mail campaigns. Not only are these tasks tedious but they can also end up being counterproductive when a lead is contacted without a duly identified need.

New predictive analysis solutions, such as Sparklane for Sales, aggregate different business signals such as a fund raising, a product launch or an expected recruitment. Based on these pre-selected signals, a score is attributed to leads. The sales person receives leads that exceed the level of scoring required. On safe ground, the sales person can consequently make contact with the right decision-maker at the right time.

Start using the new generation of collaborative tools

With Slack, the most well-known, but also HipChat, Glip, Bitrix 24 or the French platform TalkSpirit, a new generation of real-time collaborative tools is having real success with sales people. From their interface, based on the codes of Twitter and Facebook, members of the same team can chat, exchange files on the fly and share information flows.

This type of tool, when tacked onto a CRM solution (Salesforce, Zendesk, Blue Note, etc.), can enable the organisation of a very responsive sales department. Requests or contacts arrive in a dedicated channel and are redistributed depending on sales people’s skills and availability. These ChatOps use, above all, collective intelligence to comment on or enrich information on a lead.

Be permanently connected with wearables

With a connected watch on their wrist, a sales person will never miss another call or an urgent request from a client. In meetings, they will have access to ad hoc data without having to get their laptop or tablet out. This offers more proximity. Once an appointment has finished, our sales person can communicate their summary by voice dictation. Their notes will be transcribed into text form in the CRM tool. Salesforce thus proposes a dedicated application in WatchOS or Samsung Gear.

The imminent return of Google Glasses — which Google intends to reposition in the B2B niche — should get the connected glasses fashion back on track. While looking at their client, a sales person can access different information about them: order history, company figures, even their social profile. This accessory may, however, be seen as intrusive by your contact. With connected contact lenses, this will no longer be an issue…

Use virtual reality as a sales support

Wow factor guaranteed. What if you gave up PowerPoint and started presenting your product in 3D? It’s not Science Fiction. The recent entry on the market of virtual reality headsets such as those of HTC or Oculus Rift, on sale for between 600 and 900 euros, is going to put this technology within the reach of all companies. Wearing this headset, your client can visualise your product at full-scale, walk around it or turn it, and change elements or colours, etc.

When everyone has a headset, a sales department will, for example, be able to propose 3D webinars in which every participant will find themselves in the same immersive world.